Hopper car construction



Um. Zh 1937. N. B. AKn'T HOPPER cm CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l EL 1937. N. B. AKITT HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 20, 1935 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 21, 1937 Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOPPER CAR CONSTRUCTION' Norman B. Akitt, Troy, N. Y., assignor to Adirondack Foundries and Steel Incorporated, Watervliet, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 20, 1935, Serial No. 55,488 2 claims. (Cl. 105-253) The present invention relates generally to railtion. The door frame shown in Figures 1 to 4 way hopper cars and particularly to doorframes inclusive comprises top and bottom members It for the hoppers of such cars. and II, respectively, and outer and inner side The railway hopper caris provided with means members l2 and [3, respectively. It will be un- 5 whereby its cargo or lading may be discharged derstood that when the door frame is positioned I threllgh an p ap in h bottom upon a hopper carit lies generally transversely thereof and, it is now common pra tice to p of the car with the outer'frame member l2 toward Vide 63611811011 With a plurality of opp the outer side wall'of the car and the inner C u e c Such h pper or chute having a frame member 13 closely adjacent the main lonl0 d or closure Whioh, when looked or latched gitudinall extending structural member or cenin sealing position, prevents egress of the cargo ter sill of the car. The upper frame member it or la ine but wh h, wh n released, p rmi s h Varies somewhat in section from end to end, free discharge of the entire contents of the car. as may be seen upon an inspection of Figure 1 y yp of deer-frames and dOOrS fo h but'at all sections is angular in cross-section,

'loahoppers of such cars have heretofore been deas generally shown in Figure 3. Thus it has a 15 i d 0 Suggested d y of Such previous flat portion IS the upper surface of which comsuggcstions have been carried out in actual pracprises eating urface for t lower edge ee Object of the P s invention is to tion N5 of a slope sheet,such slope sheet being p v d a d r frame h v a number of suitabl secured to the top member In of the b provements v those of the prior art which frame at various pointsalong the'length of such movements, while relating for the most pa to member. Extending at ri ht angles to the fiat details of construction, render the door frame portion is of the u er {member 10 is a flange- When p into u more rigid and durable and like portion l! which acts as a stiffening flange o Satisfactory in Operation than the (1001 for imparting to this transverse member sufficient frames heretofore employed or designed. strength and rigidity to enable it to withstand 25 Th mpr v d d frame is of t unitary the weight of the cargo within the car. The p y t it being meant that the p, bottom, lower edge of the flat portion l5 merges with or and side members are cast simultaneously and joins an i u or sloping portion -13 the h0ri m a One-piece frame which y readily zontal lower edge of which defines the upper 39 appl t the a frame and pp sheets f a mar in of the aperture provided forthe escape rai w y h p a T various features of of ladin At its inner end the inclined portion novelty will be h r n pa u a y p i t d it is formed integrally with a triangular web is out. which web is also integral'with the inner side In the drawings: member I3. 5 Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the novel Formed integrally with portions l5 and I! of door frame, with door attached and partly broken th upper member ID are the pairs of spaced, y, Portions of a pp being also illusparallel, downwardly extending hinge lugs 20 the trated to show the manner of attachment of lower ends of which are provided with aligned the frame thereto; apertures, respectively, for the reception of hinge figure 2 a on W of figure pins 2| by means of which the door 22 is hingedly :40 Ftgure 3 a sectton on t of Ftgure connected to the upper member for free swinging Figure 4 1s a sectlon on line 4-4 of Figure '1; movement 5253;? 5 2 i g gg 'fifig of somewhat 1 The inner side member l3 is shown in section 2n4nd'seentocomri Figure 6 is a side elevation of this door frame; gi g i i fi' g psarts part 3 552;: d 45 es '7, 8, and 9 r sect ns 1' L4, j gi i g of g f 33 normally to thevplane of the door frame, which Figure 10 is a section on line Ill-I0 of Figure 5 is generally flat and provides means for the but showing also portions of a hopper ca frame convenient attachment of the door frame to the the hopper door in section and certain portions inner side hopper Sheet, an aligned fla ge-like (59 of the hopper sheets also in section illustrate the port 3| which forms a sealing b to cooperate manner of application of the door frame to a car. With the edge of the Swinging o to e ect the In each form of the invention all portions of retention of the cargo or lading, and a part 32 the door frame proper are formed at one time disposed at right angles to parts 30and 3| and and in one piece, preferably by a casting operalying substantially in the plane of the door frame, 55

frame.

The stiffening part 32 lies entirely without the elongated flat member comprising parts 30 and 3| and, at the upper end of the side member l3,

tion in Figure 3 and will be seen to also have attachment, sealing and'stifiening parts, indicated at 25, 26 and 21, the sealing part or rib 26 being slightly off-set upwardly, however, from the attachment part 25 in order that the upper surface of this rib will be in substantial alignment with the upper surface ofthe slope sheet 28 of the hopper, to permit free flow of lading through the door frame when the cargo is released. 7

The outer side member l2 in reality comprises only a sealing flange 33 and stiffening part or flange34, having no sheet attachment flange. The stiffening flange 34 likewise functions as a cargo retaining flange or plate, this plate being of generally triangular shape-and having along its outer edge the inclined hopper sheet attachment flange 35, the entire door frame being thus generally trapezoidal in front elevation although the aperture defined therebyfor the discharge of lading is rectangular. 22 and may be formed in various ways, although it is preferably a cast door, in which the upwardly projecting hinge lugs 31 for the reception of the hinge pins 2| areformed at the upper ends of raised, ribs '38, formed on two of the raised panels 36, thus providing a door of great strength adjacent the hinge lugs, one which map be readily fabricated and which is thoroughly efficient in action. U

The top, bottom and side members of the frame are all rigidly secured to the lower margins of the respective hopper sheets and the frame is largely supported from the hopper sheets. The inner end of the top frame member is, however, extends over the lower flange 39 of the longitudinally extending beam 4%, forming one of the two main members of the center sill and is riveted to the vertically extending web of this member. It

will be understood that the center line of the hopper car is indicated by the chain line 4! and that a similar hopper frame and door are disposed upon the opposite side of the center sill. A transversebeam 42 extending transversely of the car is secured to both doors adjacent their lower or free edges so that the doors on opposite sides of the center sill are constrained to move simultaneously. Means is provided for latching the doors in close-d position, such means preferably comprising a latch mechanism diagrammatically illustrated at 43, which mechanism includes a latch for engaging the outer end of the beam 42 which extends beyond the outer side member [2 of the frame. This latching mechanism maybe of conventional form.

In the form of the invention. illustrated in Figures 5 to 10 inclusive the various parts of the frame member are generally similar to the corresponding parts of the first form of the invention but in this form of frame it is intended that the inner frame member 50 shall be attached to a flat face of the car center sill which, for instance, may be the flat face 5 l disposed in vertical 'plane, of the channel member 52. For that rea- The door is indicated at 2,108,182 it being the function of this part to stiffen the son the inner side member 50 is provided with a flange 53 at its upper end adapted to lie flat against the web of the channel member 52 and to be attached thereto by rivets. The hopper sheet attachment-flange 54 of the inner side member 5!] lies on the opposite side of the stiffening web 55 of this member from the flange 53. It will be noted from Figure 7 that the stiffening web 55, which lies intermediate the attachment flange 54 and the sealing rib of flange 55, is inclined to the plane of the door frame and this inclination is made as great as is possible for the purpose of facilitating the flow of lading through the door frame, without,- however, at the same time materially reducing its stiffening functions or. un-

duly increasing it in thickness and weight.

' The bottom member 570i this form of frame is substantially identical with that of the'former frame previously described and likewise the outer side frame member 58 corresponds in all substantial particulars with the side frame member 12 of the door frame shown in Figures 1 to (l. The top frame member 59 is also generally similar, comprising a member which isangular in crosssection from end to end. For, the convenient attachment of the inclined hopper sheet-5i), however, in such manner that the lower margin or edge of this sheet may'lie in the same plane as the main portion thereof, the sheet attachment portion 6| has its upper flat surface inclined to the plane of the door frame. Again, the lower marginal portion 62 of the upper frame member is disposed inthe plane of the door instead of at an inclination thereto, as in the case of the first form of the invention. The hopper door is indicated at 63 and is sustained by hinges in the samemanner as shown in Figures 1 to 4.

Having thus described the invention, what is V claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: r

1. A door frame for a hopper ear comprising top, bottom, and inner and outer side members, said members together forming an integral structure defining anaperture for the discharge of lading, the'top member having a flatsurface parallel to the general plane of the frame to facilitate attachment of a hopper sheet, a surface outwardly inclined toward the plane of said door opening and merging with said flat surface, the free edge of said inclined surfacecomprising the upper margin of the discharge aperture, and at least one of the side members having-a stiffening flange in a plane parallel to said flat surface, .a web connecting the free edge of said inclined surface to said side member and lying in the same plane as said stiffening flange.

'2. A door frame for a hopper car comprising top, said members together form aninte'gral struc' ture defining an aperture for the discharge of lading, the inner side member having sealing and sheetattachment flanges disposed in spaced parallel. planes normal to the general plane of the door frame and extending substantially "to the lower edge of said frame, and aninterconnecting web outwardly inclined toward the plane of the door frame, to an extent which will effectively prevent the obstruction of the. flow of the lading during discharge thereof.

NORMAN B. AKITT.

bottom, and inner and outer side members, 

